Model airplane



R. P. FERLEN MODEL AIRPLANE March 4, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept.30, 1955 1741552 F Fer/en BY W m INVENTOR ATTORNEY March 4, 1958 R. P.FERLEN 2,825,179 I MODEL I AIRPLANE Filed Sept. 30, 1955 v sSheets-SheebZ INVENTOR fiuss e/l P Fer/en -3 WmQg ATTORNEY March 4, 1958R. P. FERLEN MODEL AIRPLANE Filed Sept. 30, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3ILNVEN'IYIOR; Russel/ E Fer/en 5y Q1Q (ATTORNEY United States Pate MODELAIRPLANE Russell P. Ferlen, Northfield, Minn.

Application September 30, 1955, Serial No. 537,755

7 Claims. (11. 46-79) invention resides in a similar structure which isnormally made in a single piece with the exception of the ballast weightfor holding the plane in a flying position. These airplanes, whenproperly folded, simulate in appearance airplanes which are actuallyconstructed and thus form a means of entertainment as well as education.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of modelairplanes including a pair of center sections extending longitudinallyof the plane and hingedly connected along a line of fold so that thesesections are foldable into substantial surface contact and a ballastpiece may be inserted and secured between the sections at a properlocation to balance the finished structure.

A further feature of the present invention lies in the provision ofmodel airplanes made of foldable sheet material and having portionsfoldably connected to the two center sections which fold between thesecenter sections and extend through slots extending longitudinally of theline of fold. These connected parts are then folded to provide a landinggear, a pair of wings, or other such structures. By this arrangement theentire body of the plane is reinforced and the center part of theairplane is increased in Weight and strength.

A further feature of the invention lies in the fact that with mystructure it is possible to have foldably connected parts attached tothe central body to extend from both the upper and lower edges thereof.Where the airplane body is formed by foldably connecting two sectionsalong a common line of fold, it is difficult to design parts such aswings or landing gear which extend from the foldably connected edges ofthe body. As a result,

where such an arrangement has been employed, the two body sections mustbe connected along one edge such as the bottom edge and the-wings must,as'aresult, extend- These and other objects and novel features of my infollowing specification and claims.

ventionwill be more clearly and fully set forth in-the -flnfltl'iedrawings forming a part of the specifi c ation: Figure l.is a plan viewof one form of airplane show ing diagrammaticallythe blank from whichthe plane is lam As a result the actual dev Figure 2 is a bottom planview of a detail portion of the blank shown in Figure l;

, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the airplane in partially foldedcondition;

Figure 4 is a sectional view through the partially folded construction,the position of the section being indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the model airplane in a further stateof completion;

1Figure 6-is a perspective view of the completed model p 2 Figure 7 is asectional view on the line 7--7 of Figure 6 showing the various layersof material slightly spaced so as to-illustrate the constructionthereof;

Figure 8 is a plan view of a modified form of model airplaneconstruction;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the blank of Figure 8 in partiallyfoldedcondition;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the completed airplane; t

Figure 11 is a'sectional' view through the completed construction, theposition of the section being indicated by the line '11--11 of Figure10, but showing the parts slightly separated for simplicity ofillustration; and

Figure 12 is asectional view through the line 12-12 of Figure 10 alsoshowing the layers of material slightly separated.

The model airplane Aindicated in Figures 1 through 7 of the drawings isformed by a blank of sheet material best illustrated in Figure 1 of thedrawings. The blank is symmetrical on opposite sides of a central 'foldline and includes two fuselage sections 10 and 11 which are toldablyconnected along the center line 12. The fuselage sections 10 and 11 areidentical in shape so that when folded into parallel relation arecontigu'ously related. Each section is shaped to simulate as nearlyasispractical the outline of an airplane of predetermined form that shownin Figure 1 simulating the outline of a jet plane when viewed inelevation. tends along the lower edge of the fuselage and cockpit of theplane as shown as indicated at 13 and 14. These areas are printed toindicate transparent windows of thetype" used in such planes. .Theforward ends of the fuselage sections are separated so as to terminatein rounded forward ends 15 and 16 spaced above the level of the foldline 12 when the plane is assembled. i

The upper edge of each of the cockpit representatives" 13 and 14 areconnected along substantiallyparallel fold lines 17 and 19 to wingsupporting sections 20 and 21, respectively. These wing supportingsections 20 and 21 are substantially equal in width'or are slightlywider than the portions of the fuselage sections 10 and 11 which arelocated between the fold lines 17 and 19. These wing supporting sections20 and 21 are connected along sub-' stantially parallel fold lines 22and 23 to the wings 24 and 25.

The wing supporting sections 20 and 21are attached along foldlines 26and 27 to landing gear sections 29 and 30, respectively. The fold lines26 and 27' are'an-= gularly related with respect to the fold lines 22and 23' and in the form illustrated are substantially at right angles tothe foldlines 22 and 23.

The fuselage sections 10'and 11 areprovided 'at 'th'eir rear ends withvertical tail fins 31 and 32 which remain in the plane ofthe fuselagesections to which they'..'are': attached. Just forwardly of the verticaltail fins 31"and2 32 I provide horizontal tailsurfaces 33 .and 34 which?t e. f s e alo g e ri al folds are connected lines 35 and 36. e

The. blank-is also provided along:thecenterpfold is;

12 with an elongated slot 37. This slot is of sutiiciei t length toaccommodate the ends of the wing supporting l' ateiitd Mar. 4, 1958 Thefold line 12 ex? sections 20 and 21 adjoining the wings and is ofsufficient length to accommodate the wings passing therethrough.Themodel plane is assembled in the manner d sclosed in the drawings. The'blarikds foldedaloiigithe, center line 12 so that the fuselage sections10 and: llare in substantial surface contact. As shown in Figure3 of thedraw ings, the landing gear sections 29 and 30 are folded along thefoldlines 26 and 27 to lie in surface contact with the outer surfaces ofthewing supporting sections. 20 and 21 to which they are'hinged. As anext step in the assembly operation, the fuselage sections 10 and 11 arefolded apart to some extent and the wings24 and 25 are bent downwardlythrough the center slot 37, the wings being folded along the fold lines.17, and 19. When this has beentdone the wing supporting sections 20 and21 lie inwardly of the fuselage sections 10 andll and the landing gearsections 29 andf30 lie inwardly of the wing supporting sections 20 and21. The model airplane A then appears in the general form illustrated inFigure of the drawings.

A ballast weight 39 which is cut to the general shape of the forward endportions of the plane is then inserted between these rounded forwardends 15 and 16. In actual practice the ballast weight member 39 isformed of relatively thick sheet material so as to add substantially tothe weight of the plane at the forward end thereof. The ballast weight39 is provided on each side with a gummed'surface which becomes stickywhen moistened. When the plane is in the position shown in Figure 5. thesurf ces of the ball st weight 39 are moistened and this weight isplaced between the forward ends 15 and 16 of the fuselage sections and11 and these fuselage sections are ressed together. The ballast weightthen tends to secure the fuselage sections in generally parallelrelation. To complete the assembly it is only necessary to fold thewings 24 and 25 outwardly from the lower edge ofthe fuselage where thesewings projectfrom the slot 37. The lower ends of the landing gearsections 29 and 30 which also extend through the slot 37 are folded intodiverging relation. This is indicated in Figure 7 of the drawings wherethe wings 24 and 25 are shown inclining upwardly slightly from theirpoint of junction with 'the wing supporting sections 20 and 21 and wherethe downwardly proiecting ends 40 and 41 of the landing gear sections 29and 30 are shown in downwardly diverging relation.

When the horizontal tail fins 33 and 34 are folded into a substantiallycommon plane, these tail fins or stabilizers act with the vertical tailfins. or stabilizers 31 and 32 to guide the model airplane in itsflight. The airplane may be entirely assembled .without requiringadditional glue or other such material, the attachment of the fuselagesections by the ballast weight member 39 serving to hold thestructureassembled.

The fold lines which have been described are preferably of the cutcrease type to minimizethe tendency of the folded partstoreturn to theplane of the part from which they are folded. In other words, once thewings and horizontal stabilizers have been folded into the desiredrelation, or slightly beyond this position, they tend to remain in anapproximate proper location. By bending the individual wings andstabilizers the model airplane may be guided in a straight path or in acurved path as is desired. In Figures 8 through 12 of the drawings, ;Idisclose a modified form of airplane which is indicated in general bythe letter B. The airplane B has certain features in common with thepreviously described construction and this additional form is describedin order to show the versatility .of the structure. The plane Bsimulates a biplane, and; accordingly, is provided with laterallyextending =wings foldably connected to extend fromboth the upper andlower surfaces of the fuselage, an arrangement which is normallydifficult to produce wherethetwo sides of the fuselage arehingedlyconnected.

The -plane -B includes two fuselage sections 42 and 43 which arefoldably connected along a center line of fold 44. The fuselage isshaped to simulate in appearance the side elevational outline of abiplane of a well known type. The forward end of the fuselage sectionsare shaped to simulate engine nacelles 45 and 46, while the rear end ofeach fuselage includes a vertical tail fin or vertical stabilizerportion such as 47 and 49, respectivel Tli e fuselage is provided alongthe fold line 44 with a pair of longitudinally spaced slots 50 and 51.The fold line 44 is designed to simulate the relatively flat undersurface of the fuselage and the fuselage sections are properly decoratedto simulate in appearance an airplane having a cockpit. The outer orupper edges of the fuselage at a point spaced from the forward ends ofthe fuselage sections are hingedly connected along generally parallelfold lines 52 and 53, to wings 54 and 55. These wings are designed tofold outwardly from the body to form the upper wings of the biplane in amanner later described.

At a point between the fold lines 52 and 53 and the enginenacelles 45and 46 I provide a pair of landing gear sections 56 and 57 connected tothe fuselage sections alongforwardly converging fold lines 59 and 60.Adjoining the rear ends of the fold lines 52 and 53 I provide lower wingsupporting sections 61 and 62 which are connected to the fuselage alongrearwardly converging fold lines 63 and 64. The lower wing supportingsections Gland 62 are foldably connected along rearwardly conver ingfold lines 65 and 66 to lower wings 67 and 69. Adj ining the verticalfin or stabilizer members 47 and 49 I provide horizontal tail fins orstabilizer sections 70 and 71 connected to the fuselage along generallyparallel fold lines 72 and 73, respectively.

The model plane B is assembled in the manner shown in the drawings. Thefuselage sections 42 and 43 are folded along the center fold line 44.While in a partially folded state, as indicated in Figure 9 of thedrawings, the landing gear sections 56 and 57 are folded along theirfold lines 59 and 60 and inserted through the slot 51 to project throughthe fuselage sections at this point. The wing supporting sections 61 and62 are also folded along the fold lines 63 and 64 and the wings 67 and69 connected thereto are inserted through the slot 50. When in thisposition the supporting sections 61 and 62 are in surface contact withthe inner surface of the fuselage sections and the wings project beneaththe body. The fuselage sections are then folded into surface contactwith portions of the landing gear sections 56 and 57 and the wingsupporting sections 61 and 62 interposed therebetween.

A ballast weight member 74 is next inserted between the forward portions45 and 46 of the fuselage sections. Preferably the ballast weightsection is provided with opposed gumrned surfaces so that by moisteningthis element and inserting it between the fuselage sections it will befirmly adhered in place and will hold the fuselagesections in side byside relation. The lower wings 66 and 67 are folded into substantially acommon plane or inclining upwardly to some extent from a common plane.This arrangement is indicated in Figure 12 of the drawings. The topwings 54 and 55 are also foldeddown into their proper position. Thelower projecting ends 75 and 76 of the landing gear forming sections 56and 57 are also spread apart slightly as is indicated in Figure 11 ofthe drawings. The horizontal stabilizers or tailffins 70and 71 are alsobent down into proper position andthe model airplane is fully assembled.H

I have found thatby following the principles described various types ofmodel airplanes can be produced which simulateinappearance airplanes ofactual construction. T e ssssm a li ex reme sim as, with martian of theballast weight piece, the entire structure is usually in one part. Asthe two similar fuselage sectionsare hingedly connected their edges arealmost in proper relationship when folded, thus eliminating thenecessity of adhering two layers of material together in contiguousrelation. By slotting one or more portions of the hinge line andconnecting certain of 'the elements by supporting sections, the attachedparts may extend both from the upper and lower edges of the fuselage. Asa result wings, stabilizers and the like may project from a plurality oflevels and the wings may fold from the upper edge of the structure whilethe landing gear projects from the lower edge thereof. These addedsections are also of importance in increasing the weight of the centerpart of the structure which tends to keep the plane on a proper level asit moves through the air. The added thickness provided by the inwardlyfolded parts also makes the center part of the body stiffer and easierto hold. As is indicated in Figures 1, 2 and 8 of the drawings, parts ofthe body which are concealed in the assembled form of the plane may beprinted with instructions to simplify the assembly operation. While thestructure is simple in form, it is instructive to produce not only froma standpoint of teaching a child to follow directions and to use hishands, but also from a standpoint of teaching the fundamentals offlight.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principlesof construction and operation of my model airplane, and while I haveendeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have itunderstood that changes may be made within the scope of the followingclaims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A model airplane including a body of sheet material cut to form, apair of similar fuselage sections hingedly connected together and foldedto extend in contiguous relation, a pair of wings, and a pair of wingsupporting sections extending between said wings and said fuselagesections and connecting the same, said wing supporting sections beingfoldably connected to said fuselage sections along the edges thereofopposite the hingedly connected edges of said fuselage sections, saidline of fold between said fuselage sections including a slot throughwhich said wing supporting sections extend.

2. A model airplane comprising a body of sheet material cut to provide apair of fuselage sections hingedly connected together and foldably intocontiguous relation, a pair of stabilizer sections hingedly connected tothe edges of said fuselage section opposite the line of fold, a pair ofwings hingedly connected to the edges of said fuselage sections oppositethe line of fold, and landing gear sections foldably connected to saidfuselage sections to extend between the same when they are folded intocontiguous relation, the fuselage sections having a slot therebetweenthrough which said landing gear sections may project.

3. The construction described in claim 2 and including means for holdingthe fuselage sections in substantially contiguous relation.

4. The construction described in claim 2 and including wing supportingsections hingedly connected to said fuselage sections on the edgethereof opposite the line of fold, second wings hingedly connected tosaid wing supporting sections, said fuselage sections having a secondslot therebetween through which said wing supporting sections mayextend.

5. A model airplane including a sheet of foldable material cut toprovide a pair of similar fuselage sections, a fold line connecting saidfuselage sections, a pair of wing supporting sections foldably connectedto said fuselage sections along the edges thereof which are opposite theline of fold and folded between said fuselage sections, a pair of wingshingedly connected to said wing supporting sections, said fuselagesections having a slot therebetween through which said wing supportingsections extend, and stabilizer sections foldably connected to saidfuselage sections along the edge thereof opposite the line of fold.

6. The construction described in claim 5 and including ballast weightmeans between said fuselage sections.

7. The construction described in claim 5 and including landing gearsections hingedly secured to said wing supporting sections and foldedbetween said wing supporting sections and through said slot.

